Does Guatemalan Huehuetenango Region Rose Specialty Coffee Estate Geisha Coffee Have Rose Flavor?

Guatemala Huehuetenango Region Finca Las Rosas Geisha Washed Rose Flavor

Guatemala Huehuetenango Region Finca Las Rosas Geisha Washed

Country: Guatemala

Region: Huehuetenango

Altitude: 1980 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Grade: SHB

Variety: Geisha

Flavor Description: Rose, bergamot, lemon, flower nectar, smooth body

Las Rosas Estate, which began growing coffee in 1915, has a history of over 100 years. Located in the high-altitude region of Huehuetenango in Guatemala, in the well-known San Pedro Necta area, it mainly produces high-quality micro-batch specialty coffees of varieties such as Geisha, Pacamara, Bourbon, Caturra, Pache, and Catuai. Among these, Geisha, Pacamara, and Bourbon are particularly popular global bestsellers each year.

Finca Las Rosas is located in the magnificent Cuchumatanes mountain range in the high-altitude Huehuetenango region of Guatemala. The name Las Rosas comes from the owner's grandmother, who loved to plant roses around the farmhouse, and they called the farm Finca Las Rosas.

The current owner, Isabel Villatoro Hernandez, has inherited past experience and is even more dedicated to improving production processes and equipment to enhance coffee quality. For them, high-quality coffee not only fetches better prices but also improves employees' lifestyles through better wages, healthcare, and education. Due to their high standards for quality, the estate rarely sells coffee to local cooperatives or exporters, instead mostly trading directly with overseas clients.

Las Rosas was selected for the C.O.E. winners list twice in 2008 and 2017, with the 2017 entry achieving seventh place with its washed Geisha variety.

Coffee is an agricultural crop directly related to the environmental climate of its origin. Guatemala belongs to high-altitude volcanic terrain, and these volcanoes are the most ideal places for growing coffee. Therefore, you will find that Guatemalan coffee has a smoky flavor. Geisha coffee from Guatemala is a wild coffee from Ethiopia, a very rare premium coffee. This single-origin from the Nueva Granada coffee farm in San Marcos, Guatemala, is where plants grow at an altitude of 5000 feet. The farm is located between two volcanoes, Tacana and Tajumulco, with rich soil from the Tacana volcano. Guatemalan Geisha coffee can be described as having low-acidity chocolate and nutty flavors. Annual harvest is limited. Rainforest Alliance certified. Medium roast. Cupping: crisp, elegant, sweet and delicious. Baker's chocolate, lemon blossom, musk, dried peach, almond aroma and cup.

Coffee produced in Guatemala belongs to the world's top-tier coffees. Because it is situated in high-altitude volcanic terrain, compared to other coffee varieties, tasters prefer this mixed-flavor coffee with spicy notes. The Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) from this region is a rare fine coffee, with full beans, delicious taste, and balanced acidity. Additionally, its giant coffee beans also make Guatemala highly regarded.

Guatemala Coffee Growing Regions

Coffee was truly introduced to Guatemala in 1750 by Jesuit priests, and by the late 19th century, German colonists developed the coffee industry here. Guatemala has a total of eight growing regions, divided into five volcanic regions and three non-volcanic regions. The five volcanic regions are: Antigua, Acatenango, Atitlan, Volcanic San Marcos, and Fraijanes. The three non-volcanic regions are: Huehuetenango, Coban, and New Oriente. Guatemala has over 300 microclimates throughout the country, the most in the world. The flavors of coffee produced in Guatemala's various regions differ, but generally speaking, Guatemalan coffee presents a gentle and mellow overall texture, with elegant aromas and a special, pleasant acidity similar to fruit acids, making it truly the aristocrat of coffees, among which Antigua Classic is highly recommended by global coffee connoisseurs.

Huehuetenango

The Huehuetenango region is located in the northwestern highlands of Guatemala, with growing altitudes reaching 1800-2100 meters, making it the highest altitude coffee growing region in the country, famous for producing excellent quality beans. The dry, hot winds from the Tehuantepec plateau in Mexico protect the region's coffee beans from frost, and local people plant coffee trees in areas approaching 2000 meters, which can be described as a god-given coffee growing environment. Although Huehuetenango has a dry climate, the area is interwoven with streams, providing ample clean water for irrigation or supplying washing processing plants. During the harvest season, washing processing can be done directly on the mountains. Due to the numerous rivers and lakes throughout Guatemala, the Huehuetenango region has rich mountains and water resources, with a dry climate but abundant water sources, and the region has complete water conservancy facilities, so coffee mostly adopts washed processing. Harvest period: January-April.

FrontStreet Coffee has selected its washed Huehuetenango coffee with distinct citrus notes, having the acidity of lemon peel yet the richness of berries, with nutty flavors in the finish, as the daily drinking bean for FrontStreet Coffee. It is representative of the Huehuetenango region in Guatemala and also representative of Guatemalan coffee.

Antigua

Antigua is the oldest and most beautiful city in the Americas. As early as 1543, Antigua was the capital of the entire colonial era in Central America, and the Spanish governor's palace was also established here. After the great earthquake of 1773, the entire city of Antigua was destroyed, so the capital was moved to Guatemala City. Antigua is located about 40 kilometers west of Guatemala City. The colonial-era buildings were damaged by earthquakes, and the post-earthquake original appearance has been completely preserved, making it a living historical museum.

Coffee Varieties

Guatemala mainly grows Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, and Catuai. Bourbon and Typica are both the oldest Arabica coffee varieties, mostly appearing as specialty coffees.

FrontStreet Coffee has two Guatemalan coffees: one is the daily drinking bean, Huehuetenango coffee, with varieties of Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai; the other is the single-origin Guatemala Flower Goddess coffee, with varieties of Caturra and Bourbon.

Guatemala Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Guatemala coffee beans are mainly processed using the washed method.

After harvesting, the selected coffee cherries are put into a depulper to initially remove their skin and pulp. Then the coffee beans with remaining pulp and mucilage are placed in water for about 24 hours of fermentation. After fermentation, they are placed in flowing water tanks for washing. After washing, the coffee beans are dried in the sun or with the help of dryers until the moisture content reduces to about 12%, then transferred to warehouses. Finally, the parchment of the coffee beans is removed before sales. This processing method can present a very clean taste. At the same time, FrontStreet Coffee believes that washed processed coffee best reflects the basic flavor of a region, so this bean is also very suitable for coffee newcomers, marking the flavor characteristics of Guatemalan origin.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Suggestions

FrontStreet Coffee has two Guatemalan coffees: one is the daily drinking bean, Huehuetenango coffee, with varieties of Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai; the other is the single-origin Guatemala Flower Goddess coffee, with varieties of Caturra and Bourbon. Guatemalan coffee beans naturally carry the unique nutty and cocoa tones of Latin America, with light floral notes and soft fruit acidity. FrontStreet Coffee adopts a medium-light roasting approach to preserve more floral and fruity aromas, with clean and bright acidity.

FrontStreet Coffee Guatemala Coffee Brewing Parameters:

Guatemala coffee beans are medium-light roasted. Lightly roasted beans have a lower dissolution rate of coffee substances than darkly roasted ones. FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a V60 dripper with faster flow rate, higher water temperature, and finer grind size.

FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-fine grind/sugar crystal size (China No. 20 standard sieve, 80% pass rate). Using 15g of coffee powder, then paired with a V60 dripper, 91°C water temperature, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, and three-stage pouring technique for brewing.

Using three-stage extraction, bloom with twice the amount of water as the coffee powder, that is, 30g of water for 30 seconds. The reason for the blooming process is to allow the coffee powder to release internal carbon dioxide gas, thereby making the later extraction more stable. Pour with small water flow in circles to 125g for segmentation, continue pouring to 225g and stop. Wait for the water in the dripper to finish dripping, then remove the dripper. Start timing from the beginning of pouring, extraction time is 2'00". Next, pick up the entire cup of coffee and shake it evenly, then pour it into cups for tasting.

Guatemala Huehuetenango coffee flavor characteristics: citrus, berry acidity, lemon peel, nutty aromas in the middle section, tea-like finish.

Guatemala Flower Goddess coffee flavor characteristics: berry acidity, citrus, light chocolate, rich layers, smooth mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Suggestions:

Regarding coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans greatly affects the flavor of coffee. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans that are roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it is at the peak of flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee kindly reminds: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a resting period, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide produced in the packaging can also make the coffee flavor more rounded, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the coffee powder. However, coffee powder needs to be brewed promptly, because after contact with air, coffee powder oxidizes relatively quickly, meaning the flavor of coffee will dissipate more quickly, and the coffee flavor won't be as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better appreciate the flavor of coffee.

In addition to Geisha coffees from different regions, FrontStreet Coffee also offers more than fifty different single-origin coffee beans from around the world, each with its unique flavor characteristics—some like acidity, some prefer bitterness, and some like neither acidic nor bitter. Whatever flavor profile you're looking for, FrontStreet Coffee can meet everyone's needs.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473